1. Field
The present specification relates to display processing apparatuses suitably applied to electronic devices, such as, for example, a mobile phone, a PHS (PHS: Personal Handyphone System), a PDA (PDA: Personal Digital Assistant), a portable game machine, a music player, and a notebook personal computer.
More particularly, it relates to a display processing apparatus allowing users to intentionally select an action in a range of respecting the meaning of the existence of a screen lock mode with the screen lock for preventing unintended operations being set in the electronic devices.
2. Related Art
An applicant of the present specification has studied related arts and found existence of a technique disclosed in “Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 09-062446” (Patent Literature 1).
This Patent Literature 1 discloses a touch panel input method intended to prevent unintended operations of operators.
More specifically, it is configured in this touch panel input method disclosed in Patent Literature 1 that, once an operator performs a touch operation on a touch panel displaying objects, such as characters and figures, with their finger or the like, the touch-operation performed object is determined on the basis of coordinates corresponding to the touch operation of the touch panel and event processing corresponding to the object is executed.
Additionally, it is configured in this touch panel input method disclosed in Patent Literature 1 that the event processing is executed only when the object at the time of touching of the finger in the touch operation and the object at the time of release of the finger in the touch operation are the same.
In this touch panel input method disclosed Patent Literature 1, when an operator mistakenly performs a touch operation on an object corresponding to an undesired event among objects displayed on the touch panel, the operator slides their finger to a position where no object exists or a display area of another object without leaving the finger from the touch panel to keep the contact and then leaves the finger from the touch panel. In this way, it is possible to cancel selection of the mistakenly operated object and prevent inconvenience of executing the undesired event.
Next, a mobile terminal device serving as art related to the present specification will be described.
This mobile terminal device has a display screen configured as a touch-operation performable touch panel. When this mobile terminal device shifts into a state where lock for preventing unintended operations is set (a screen lock mode), the mobile terminal device displays an unlock character (UNLOCK) and an arrow object (an unlock object) indicating an operation direction corresponding to an unlock operation at a lower area of the display screen as illustrated in FIG. 12(a).
These unlock character and unlock object mean that the screen lock is canceled in response to a slide operation (=an unlock operation) on the arrow object in the direction of the arrow and a free touch operation of the display screen is enabled.
That is, when this mobile terminal device shifts into the screen lock mode, the mobile terminal device is in a state of receiving only the unlock operation.
If an event, such as reception of a call or an email or notification of a schedule, then occurs with this screen lock mode being set, this mobile terminal device notifies users of the occurred event through the display screen.
FIG. 12(b) illustrates an example of the event notification at the time of reception of an email. As illustrated in this FIG. 12(b), when an email is received during the screen lock mode, this mobile terminal device displays an email reception message “An email is received from a user A (Text from User A)” and a subject attached to the email “Conference (conference)” on the display screen.
This display allows a user of the mobile terminal device to recognize reception of the email having the subject “Conference” from the user A without performing the above-described unlock operation.
After performing such event notification, the mobile terminal device determines whether predetermined time, such as, for example, 20 seconds, has passed since start of the event notification or not (determines whether timeout occurs or not).
If the user performs the unlock operation before the timeout occurs, the mobile terminal device activates an application program for processing emails. On the basis of this email processing application program, the mobile terminal device then displays a list, such as a user name corresponding to the received email, on the display screen in an order of reception date and time as illustrated in FIG. 12(c).
When browsing an email received from a desired user from the displayed list of the user names or the like, the user of the mobile terminal device performs a touch operation on a part displaying the desired user name. In response to this touch operation, the mobile terminal device displays an email received from the touch-operation performed user on the display screen on the basis of the email processing application program. In this way, the user of the mobile terminal device can browse the desired email.
On the other hand, when the mobile terminal device detects the unlock operation after the timeout, the mobile terminal device cancels the screen lock and displays, for example, a list of icons (a general menu) corresponding to respective application programs for selecting a desired application program on the display screen as illustrated in FIG. 12(d).
When browsing the received email, the user performs an operation for selecting an icon corresponding to the email processing application program from this list of icons.
Upon detecting the operation for selecting the icon corresponding to this email processing application program, the mobile terminal device activates the email processing application program. The mobile terminal device then displays a list, such as a user name corresponding to the received email, on the display screen in an order of reception date and time as illustrated in FIG. 12(c).
The user of the mobile terminal device performs a touch operation on a part displaying a desired user name from this displayed list of the user names or the like. In response to this touch operation, the mobile terminal device displays an email received from the touch-operation performed user on the display screen on the basis of the email processing application program. In this way, the user of the mobile terminal device can browse the desired email.
Actions of the mobile terminal device at the time of occurrence of an event during such a screen lock mode are summarized as follows:
1. When the unlock operation is performed before the timeout, the mobile terminal device activates an application program corresponding to the occurred event and performs processing of the occurred event.
2. When the unlock operation is performed after the timeout, the mobile terminal device cancels the screen lock and displays the general menu on the display screen. The mobile terminal device then activates an application program selected from this general menu.